How does Acts 7:37 connect to Deuteronomy 18:15 regarding prophecy fulfillment? Introduction: One Promise Echoing Across Testaments • Two verses, centuries apart, share identical words. • Deuteronomy 18:15 is the promise; Acts 7:37 is the reminder. • Together they spotlight the same Person—the ultimate “prophet like Moses.” Deuteronomy 18:15—Moses Foretells a Future Prophet “ ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.’ ” (Deuteronomy 18:15) • Setting: Moses’ farewell address on the plains of Moab. • Key elements: – “The LORD will raise up”—God Himself initiates. – “A prophet like me”—not just any leader, but a mediator, lawgiver, and deliverer. – “From among your brothers”—fully Israelite; fully human. – “You must listen to him”—divine authority demanding obedience (cf. Deuteronomy 18:18-19). Acts 7:37—Stephen Repeats Moses’ Promise “This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ” (Acts 7:37) • Context: Stephen’s defense before the Sanhedrin. • Purpose: To show Israel’s long pattern of rejecting God-sent deliverers, culminating in their rejection of Jesus (Acts 7:51-53). • Function: By quoting Moses, Stephen ties Jesus directly to the prophecy, asserting that the long-awaited Prophet has come. Connecting the Dots: Fulfillment in Jesus Parallels between Moses and Jesus: • Birth preservation: Pharaoh sought Hebrew babies’ lives (Exodus 1); Herod sought the Messiah’s life (Matthew 2). • Miraculous signs: Moses wielded plagues; Jesus performed healings, exorcisms, and nature miracles (John 20:30-31). • Mediator role: Moses mediated the old covenant at Sinai (Exodus 19-24); Jesus mediates the new covenant at Calvary (Hebrews 8:6). • Lawgiver/Teacher: Moses delivered the Torah; Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount and the law of Christ (Matthew 5-7; Galatians 6:2). • Deliverer: Moses led Israel out of physical bondage; Jesus delivers from sin’s bondage (John 8:34-36). New Testament confirmations: • Peter cites the same promise—Acts 3:22-23—calling listeners to repent. • Philip tells Nathanael, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law” (John 1:45). • Crowds murmur, “Surely this is the Prophet” (John 6:14; 7:40). • Jesus Himself points back to Moses: “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me” (John 5:46). Why the Link Matters • Validates Scripture’s unity: one redemptive thread from Torah to Gospel. • Affirms Jesus’ supreme authority: when Moses says, “Listen to Him,” silence all other loyalties. • Underscores accountability: refusal to heed the Prophet brings judgment (Acts 3:23; Hebrews 2:1-3). • Strengthens confidence: God keeps His word over millennia, so every remaining promise stands firm. Takeaway Truths • Moses pointed forward; Jesus is the point. • The identical wording in Acts 7:37 shows deliberate, Spirit-guided fulfillment—not coincidence. • Listening to Jesus isn’t optional obedience; it’s covenant requirement. • The prophecy’s completion in Christ assures that every believer can trust God’s prophetic word, past, present, and future. |
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